Hmmm.
Not sure what to think about the Surgi Snuggly that arrived this morning. We were tres excité about getting something that would help Remy’s paralyzing fear of the cone collar, and after watching the videos and reading the testimonials about the Snuggly, we were sure it was going to work. Well…not so much. At least at the outset.
The garment went on perfectly, and everything is in place. The incision area is covered by two straps that come up and around, and are secured in place by a flap/pocket thingy lined in Velcro. Perfect, snug fit. An initial “positive” is that he does seem less anxious and nervous and fretful. It is supposed to act (and does act) like a “Thundershirt,” or similar garment designed to decrease fear and anxiety in pets. That’s a good thing.
But — Remy can easily move the two undergirth straps out of the way with his nose, and bite at the sutures on his neuter incision. What?! Um. And even when he’s not moving the straps to bite at the stitches, he’s biting at the stitches through the top of the fabric.
I’m sure the sutures itch. I’ve had enough surgeries in my life to know that. And I’ve checked to make sure the soft fabric of the Snuggly is not rubbing against the stitches. At any other time, he doesn’t seem bothered by it at all. In fact, I think he likes wearing it, because it makes him feel…well…snuggly. 
At any rate, we’ll keep trying. It’s better than having nothing at all, and certainly a darn sight better than the dreaded cone. The ProCollar we bought as a stop-gap measure didn’t do the trick, either. I think Remy was a borderline size problem, whereby the large was too large, and the medium was too small. Fail.
Next on the list is to get an old pair of the Thriller’s undies and put those on underneath the Snuggly. Maybe it’ll provide some more padding, and another “layer” he’ll have to fight to get through to the sutures. Cripes…
I know that this too shall pass. Hopefully by tomorrow, he’ll be a bit less itchy and twitchy, and he’ll start to forget about the stitches. He goes in next Thursday for the post-op checkup, so we should be good by then.
Happy MLK weekend, fiends. Off to work we go…
Just one of the joys of pet “parenthood” it does pass, some faster than others…lots of walks help!
Have a great three day MLK weekend…
Ask your vet about something topical that will reduce the itch. Sometimes you can use OTC things (like Benadryl, etc) that just take the edge off enough so he will leave it alone. My vet gave me a spray (Dermacool) to keep Tootsie from irritating a cyst on her leg and it works really well. We’re trying to get the swelling to go down enough so we can have it removed.
You and the Thriller are such good doggy-parents!! I’m happy to see he’s doing so well!!
Hugs-
PK
PK has the right idea. I would call the Vet and ask if just an OTC anti-itch cream would be safe for Remy. Sure hope you can find a solution and Remy gets through this quickly. It’s no fun for parents or pups! Hang in there, guys. It’s all down hill from here!
Love you all!
Agreed, all! It’s a long process for sure. Get a load of this…
We finally called the vet at 8:00 last night. *Nothing* was working. Remy was bypassing every single thing we tried (and spent about $175 acquiring). Bedtime was approaching, and we were frantic.
Well, the vet called the Thriller back, and we couldn’t believe what he said. He said that the small incision wasn’t holding anything “in,” like a repaired/damaged organ, and that the skin was basically healed around the sutures already. Add to that the fact that male dogs tend to bother incisions more, and will go to greater lengths to contort themselves to get at them, it was all normal behavior, and if Remy insisted on licking, let him lick.
When T said that we were worried about infection, the vet responded that while unlikely, if it did get infected, they’d give antibiotics. The impression we got (and we trust this doctor implicitly) was that the dangers of infections post-neutering are overstated, and we should basically stop fretting and let nature work. I liked that approach, and that’s what we’re going with.
He licked and licked throughout the night (ask me how I know this), but when I checked the incision this morning, the stitches were still in place, and the skin is perfect pink and not red at all. Go figure…leave it alone and things improve? Seems too good to be true, so I’m keeping that lidocaine spray handy.
Nature is strange thing. Animals just seem to know what they need to feel better. Guess it’s been that way since the beginning of time. Being parents of an animal, (myself included) we still worry and fret about their health and happiness. It’s amazing when it turns out to be something simple like – just let them be. I’m so glad that Remy is on the mend. Maybe his Mama/Papa can get some rest tonight!
The travails of canine ownership!!! Our experience with emasculating our boys was always non eventful. They responded well to the command, No, when the licking started. Your vet gave wonderful sound advice. I hope sleep happens for you tonight.
Unreal. Go figure, huh? Glad things are going well.
PK